Rondo scoring points with play

TORONTO - Rajon Rondo has a point guard's sensibilities - pass first, set up teammates, get everyone involved, shoot as a last resort. And since the Celtics are allowed to play with only one ball at a time, Rondo's task becomes complicated as he attempts to distribute the wealth among Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce.

But Rondo has been breaking through recently after an inconsistent start to the season - by shooting first and asking questions later. He has averaged 15.3 points in the last three games; he shot 3 for 17 and totaled 9 points in the previous three contests.

On Thursday, Rondo outscored Allen Iverson (18-14) as the Celtics took a 98-80 win over Detroit. Less than 24 hours later, he sparked the Celtics to a 95-78 victory at Minnesota, Rondo himself outscoring the Timberwolves (11-10) in the decisive third quarter.

Now Rondo is preparing for another test, this time against Jose Calderon as the Celtics meet the Toronto Raptors this afternoon.

"We came out with a different intensity in the third quarter," Rondo said of the Celtics' 35-10 wipeout of the Timberwolves. "We converted on easy baskets and kept the defensive intensity up. They shot [27 percent] in the first half but I didn't play like I wanted in the first half. I missed lot easy baskets. But then we had a great run in the third quarter."

By building comfortable leads, the Celtic starters have been able to sit out the final quarter in the last two games.

"That's big for us," Rondo said. "We had a great start to the third quarter and that gave us a chance to rest again - even if we didn't play good the whole time."

Rondo's perimeter shooting also has improved. He was scoreless from 3-point range until sinking one against the Pistons. He converted two against Minnesota, including an uncontested shot from about 25 feet at the third-quarter buzzer.

"They were still shot-clock threes, but I stepped in and took them with confidence," Rondo said.

Coach Doc Rivers has been encouraging Rondo to be more assertive.

"His speed has to be a factor," Rivers said. "The last two games are what we see him doing every night. Obviously, he's young, so he's inconsistent a little bit. But I just like the way he was attacking and not letting guards that were guarding him off the hook, making them guard him. Because when he becomes an offensive factor, he takes our offense to a different level.

"I just want him to be aggressive and make plays. It doesn't have to always be a shot at the basket, but create a shot at the basket, and he's doing that. He's getting better and better at it.

"It's also very difficult to do, with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett out there. At some point he says to himself, 'Wait a minute, I'm the guy with the ball?' And I always say, 'Yeah, you're the guy with the ball - and keep it. If they aren't going to guard you, keep it and make things happen.' "

The Celtics remain vulnerable against point guards with a size advantage over Rondo, though. The point guard matchup against Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals last season illustrated a Celtic weakness. This season, though, the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to Denver; the Celtics have twice dominated Detroit but were defeated by Denver (94-85), their only home loss.

"Playing against Chauncey in the playoffs, there isn't a better guy to hone your skills playing against, a bigger guy than him, unless Magic [Johnson] is still around," Rivers said. "[Rondo] has definitely improved."